Thomas Computer Services (609-838-0342) Windows XP Yearly Maintenance Checklist

I recommend maintenance a little more often than once per year, but a good spring cleaning is certainly better than nothing. ______________________________________ Computer owner __________________________________ Date of this clean procedure

Programs used on a regular basis ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

A. Computer Inventory Make _____________________________ Year purchased _____________________ OS _______________________________ Model _____________________________ Processor __________________________

Hard drive (My Computer > Rt-click C: Drive > Properties > General) Total size __________________ Used _________________

Unused _____________

Memory (My Computer > Rt-click C: Drive > Properties > General) should have at least 512mb Invoice ________________________ Listed in Properties __________________ Processes (Rt-click task bar > Task Manager > Processes) after reboot and 10 minutes wait, should be from 22 to 75 running-- any more could be a sign of virus or spyware infestation Processes running before cleaning __________ After cleaning ____________ Task Bar - got any red Xes? List ________________________________________________________________________ Before completing entire procedure, rst check if any of the following may apply Norton Antivirus Misbehaving Norton can get out of sorts and cause all kinds of problems. I suggest uninstalling it to see if it is the cause of your problem. You can always reinstall it afterwards or install some other antivirus software. Google Desktop Some computers experience a major slowdown when Google Desktop Search is installed. This program constantly indexes all of your les on your computer and can really slow thing down. Simply Uninstall. Internet Explorer 7 Microsofts new Internet Explorer 7 can cause major problems on some computer. If your problems started after this was installed, try going back to IE 6 by uninstalling IE 7 through ADD and REMOVE PROGRAMS. Kodak Updater Some versions of Kodak software has been known to cause a real slowdown. Uninstall or update from the Kodak website. Broken Windows Update Occasionally a Windows update can cause a problem. If the slow down started just after a Windows Update, remove the update.

B. Install or update tools Antivirus _____________________________________

Run its updater. Make sure you uninstall old versions before installing a new one. File Cleaner ___________________________________ AntiSpyware ___________________________________ Microsoft Defender, if used, must be downloaded onto this computer directly from MS Registry Cleaner ________________________________

___ C. Scan Disc for Errors (My Computer > Rt-click C: Drive > Properties > Tools > In Error Checking window, click Check Now > Check off both boxes) Restart computer, drive will be checked for errors-can take several hours ___ D. Run Virus Scan - rst disconnect or turn off internet connection, then run a full scan ___ E. Uninstall Programs Using Programs' Uninstallers (Start > All Programs)- no-longer or neverused. Restart between all uninstalls. If unsure about any program, LEAVE IT ALONE! ___ F. Add or Remove Software (Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs)- same advice as in E. above. ___ G. Delete Other Junk Now is a good time to go through all your data in MY DOCUMENTS and delete any that you no longer need. You could also use this time to reorganize your les by moving individual les into meaningful folders. The same is true for email. If you are using Outlook or Outlook Express for email, then you might want to go through your emails and delete and reorganize. ___ H. Delete Temp Files - delete all your temporary les manually by running DISKCLEAN and then going into Internet Explorer and deleting Internet Temp les, History and cookies. ___ I. Run AntiSpyware Scans- run full scans with your Antispyware type programs and remove any problems that they nd. Restart your computer and scan again to make sure all stubborn problems are gone completely. ___ J. Check/Remove Startup Programs- There are a bunch of programs and services that are set to run whenever your computer starts. Some of them are necessary such as antivirus programs and Firewalls and then there are others that do not really need to be started like Quicktime and Realplayer. You can access some of the startup list by clicking on START > RUN > type mscong in the run box > Click on the STARTUP tab > you will be presented with a list of startup items. You can uncheck the box for any item that you do not want to have start. If you want to lean more about each entry, simply enter the name into a Google search. Again if you are unsure of any entry leave it checked. You can always go back and recheck any items. Reboot your computer. ___ K. Run Windows Disk Optimizer (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System)- The longer it takes, the more you needed it. ___ L. Run Windows and Ofce Update Can be done from Internet Explorer or from the Start Menu. It's important to get critical updates, and to continue to run this process from the MS Update web site REPEATEDLY until there are no more critical updates available. ___ M. Remove Dust Inside- that could be interfering with the proper cooling of your computer. Turn off your computer and unplug the power cord before cleaning. Remove the side cover and Vacuum out all vents and using a can of compressed air, blow out any dust that has accumulated on any heat sinks and fans inside. Note: You can damage the fans by spinning them too quickly with compressed air, so it is a good idea to stick a pencil in between the blades to keep them from spinning. Just dont forget to remove the pencil before you turn your computer back on.

___ N. Do Windows XP Speed Tweaks ___ O. Check Processes Running Again- After cleaning, do the processes check as above in Inventory section. There should be fewer process running.